I was looking through All Recipes the other day and stumbled on African Peanut Soup. The ingredients were simple, and we happened to have everything on hand. I was excited to give it a go, as there were 111 positive reviews.

The result was delicious--a thick, hearty soup with a bit of spice and a beautiful peanut flavor.

The Ingredients.

--1 yellow onion, diced

--2 green onions, chopped

--2 red bell peppers, chopped

--4 cloves minced garlic

--1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, with liquid

--8 cups vegetable broth

--1/4 t black pepper

--1/4 - 1/2 t chili powder

--1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

--1 cup peanut butter (to add later)

--dollop of sour cream and a bit of tabasco sauce (optional)

The Directions.

--wash and chop all of the vegetables, and put into the crock. Add the entire can of tomatoes, the uncooked rice, and the spices.

--pour in the vegetable broth.

--cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for about 4. The soup is done when the onions are fully cooked and are translucent.

--stir in peanut butter, and cook on high for 20-30 minutes, or until fully heated through.

add a dollop of sour cream and a touch of tobasco sauce

The Verdict.

I really liked this! I REALLY liked it the next day for lunch. It had thickened overnight, and the peanut butter flavor was much more pronounced. The original recipe asked for 2/3 of a cup of crunchy peanut butter, but I used a whole cup of creamy all-natural. I don't like the little pieces of peanut in crunchy peanut butter in a sandwich, so I was pretty sure the texture in soup would weird me out. The rice kind of disappeared, and just added to the thickness, which was okay with me, but is something to note.

My kids refused to try this. I tried, but they were pretty stubborn in their decision that peanut butter shouldn't be cooked unless it's in cookies or brownies.

I'm really enjoying your blog, and am happy that so many of your recipes are vegan (or easily adapted). Thanks so much for sharing.

I'm curious, though, about your kids. So often you say they won't eat what you cook -- what DO they eat then? Surely you don't prepare a separate meal for them? Or do you? It would seem to negate the major point of the Crockpot. (Sorry if I'm being too nosy.)

debbie, lol. I am a huge pushover. I just don't worry too much about them eating the things that I like or prepare. In a perfect world, they'd be up for anything all the time, but usually they prefer their food "separated" and very bland.

The go-to meals for them when I know that they aren't going to eat what I made are quesadillas, rice with butter and parm, brown rice pasta with butter and parm, Annie's GF mac and cheese, PB&J on an apple rice cake.

Oh Steph ;-) I just can't wait to try this thank you !!!that's just amazing that you're sticking to your guns and using the crokpot for the whole year..I'm still getting blog traffic for the creamy spinach ricotta noodles thanks...have a great week and I'll be back to visit more .

I've had a soup similar to this, but now can't have peanuts, so what do you think of almond butter in the recipe? Any thoughts? The egg recipe above and the strawberry jam, and Well, just all your recipes are so amazing and delicious sounding. I'm hungry now.. drat..

I made this yesterday and it was YUMMMY. I had a similar recipie years ago that used chicken too, but I lost it in one of my moves.

I would like it spicier,(I like very spicey food) but I did not want to increase the chili powder until I tried it out in the crock pot. I used long grained white rice (which was all I had in the house) and it came out fine.

I'd like to try it with a different grain (or serve it on a different grain and omit the rice). or maybe add some root vegetables for some additional texture. I brought some leftovers for my lunch today. Great dish.

African peanut soup is amazing. In ghana we call it "Nkatsiekwan" and it is often served with a combination of chicken and seafood. For those who think cooked peanut butter is odd, just wait until you hear that one of the top five meals I have ever had in my life was Ghanaian Peanut soup with Octopus. I'm salivating just thinking of it.

In ghana we wouldnt use the bell peppers, just a straight blending of onions, tomatoes, and tomato paste along with spicy scotch bonnet peppers. It is pretty time consuming and involves a fair amount of oil.

But there's a cookbook called the "Gourmet Slowcooker" (that I LOVE) that has a recipe for a Mexican inspired version that tastes very much like the African original. I highly recommend it.

I have a recipe given to me from a friend for Chicken in peanut sauce - to be served over rice that I have recently converted to the crockpot. I'm sure it may be similar, but if you want to give it a try...m.smart@sasktel.net

I made this soup this week, and we had the leftovers for lunch today. My husband and I loved it! It was so different, and a unique taste. I love crunch, so I added some chopped peanuts at the same time I added the peanut butter. I also added chicken, because I thought the idea of chicken and peanut buttery-ness sounded good. It was excellent, and we'll be making it again. Thanks for the post!

I made this soup yesterday. I was really excited about it and my husband - not so much. The kids were thrilled at the concept of having "peanut butter soup."

When all was said and done, I didn't care too much for it and my husband loved it! Just goes to show that sometimes you gotta try something to see how you like it.

The kids liked it at first, but after a couple of bites decided it wasn't for them. I think it was the lumps of onion and bell pepper that caused them so much distress. I think if I had put it through the blender before serving, the kiddos (and I) would've liked it.

I will try this again, but probably not for a while. It was surprisingly hearty and filling. I think it'll be perfect on a chilly day with some grilled cheese on the side. And I'd halve the recipe for my little family of 4!!

Hubby gave it a 3 out of 5. He said it tasted Like something I already make in the crockpot--hmmm Maybe my Thai chicken , LOL. I cute up 3 chicken breasts and served with grilled cheese like someone suggested. Had enough left over to freeze some so I was very pleased !!! I liked it alot!! Thank you

Made this tonight ... man, what a great soup! For whatever reason (maybe kimw's comment?) I used the immersion blender right before serving. (This is what happens when your laptop is in the family room and you're in the kitchen and too lazy to move the laptop.) Anyway, the result was very good - very bisque-like! I liked this a lot. The others in the family? Not so much, but that's par for the course 'round here.

I love this idea!! Crockpots are so wonderful and I'm totally stoked to have such a long list of recipes available now. Thanks for all your hard work on this! I can't wait to try some of these things out. I love to try new things! =)

I lived in France where I was blessed to eat in African homes many times. They often served a version of this. Usually they added chicken to it, which I loved. They also added fish which I liked less. Leave out a little broth for a thicker version and serve it with foufou( a sticky semolina dough that can be found at some health food stores.)

Made this over the weekend for lunches this week. My husband commented that "this is really good" which means it really is. He'll eat anything but only comments on the really good receipes. I used chunky peanut butter and loved it - I like varying texture. Next time I may add more rice, but I don't recommend changing anything.

I made this for guests and it went over very well. Used the recipe near exact, just used veg boullion with water rather than purchased liquid brother. Also used all natural peanut butter, which I think makes it a little less sweet, but it was excellent. Lots of compliments.

I just made a variation of this soup and it was wonderful! I wanted to stretch it for my big family (and offset a little of the fat in the peanut butter). So I added a jar of V8 juice for broth and a pound of lentils. It made it nice and hearty, and the flavors were fabulous. My kids LOVED it, but then Thai food is our favorite, so they're used to peanut recipes.

I'm so excited to see this! I just found your blog (I was looking for mac-n-cheese recipes) and saw this recipe. I loooooooove African Peanut Soup! (Although I've usually had it with chicken - which I will add when I make it.)

I, too, have hesitated to make it because the recipe I had for it was very complicated - and served 100! (I got it from a restaurant - The Palomino in Seattle - possibly the same owner/mgt co. as McMenamins)

For the peanut butter-leery I would say that it has a peanut flavor but doesn't make you think "Oh, this has peanut butter in it!"

I have this is the crock right now...my house smells amazing! I stumbled on your blog last week and decided that I would try a week of slow cooking...HELLO easy clean ups and leftovers to freeze! I am so thrilled that I found your blog and that you not only have the recipes but the verdicts too. Thank you so much for making life easier and tastier!

Oh and I think I might add chicken as well but Im not sure about when to add it in the cooking process... ? Or if I could add frozen chicken either?

Just wondering if anyone went ahead and tried this with almond butter instead? My husband has a peanut allergy, which makes me very sad as I LOVE all thinks peanutty, lol! I'll try to remember to repost on here how it turns out if no one else writes they have tried it that way!

I found your blog today after searching for "365 days of crockpot recipes", and I'm so excited to try them! This soup, however, was not our favorite. For some reason, the brown rice never cooked, so we occasionally ran into small hard pellets. Also, my husband said he preferred his African Peanut soup to be more spicy, and thicker---He too was comparing it to McMenamin's African Peanut soup, which is to die for! We did add diced chicken, and will give it another try tomorrow, as you said it tasted even better the next day. If it's not markedly better, we'll go back to our standby, found here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/african_chicken_peanut_stew/Thanks again!

I tried this recipe and wasn't impressed. Although I do agree that it gets better after sitting over night. You can read my review at http://vegetarianadventuresincooking.blogspot.com/2012/11/crock-pot-african-peanut-soup.html. This recipe was the first one I've reviewed.

Made this yesterday, it was delicious. I liked it, husband liked it, kids (7.5.3 years old)liked it, baby (8 mos) looked jealous that she couldn't have any. I used 1 cup of rice and a little less peanut butter and it turned out great. Thanks a lot for the recipe!

I have always wanted to try african peanut soup; but I always assumed it was boiled peanuts(which are awesome!), like beans. I never made it because i thought I would have to cook a big ol pot of peanuts, I will be making this very soon! Thanks!

I loved this recipe but I made a few changes -- I added 5 skin-off chicken drumsticks and cooked it on high for 6.5 hours. It was SO delicious!! I also used chicken broth because that is what I had on hand.

The chicken drumsticks really added more flavor to the broth but also added a nice protein addition. Definitely making this one again and sharing it with my friends!